Chapter 99

After repeatedly admitting his mistakes, Qin Zhiwu finally regained his freedom.

Cheng Zheng loosened his grip, and Qin Zhiwu felt as if he had escaped from a copper wall and iron wall, and breathed a sigh of relief. He saw a circle of red marks on his wrist, with faint fingerprints, and the wrist that was held was more like a pain that went from the skin to the bone seams.

Cursing in his heart, Qin Zhiwu looked very cautious. He just said that he would never appear in front of Jian Lu again, and then took a step back to leave the school. However, because of Cheng Zheng's sharp eyes, his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground. He had to barely keep his balance, picked up the suitcase that fell on the ground, and hurriedly ran out of the school.

His two legs were moving very fast, as if some monster was chasing him from behind.

Until this moment, Qin Zhiwu finally understood that everything that the fake Qiu Yanling said was a lie.

In other words, Qin Zhiwu finally admitted at this moment that those were all fake. He always thought that it would be great if Jian Lu's man was really bad, inferior to himself in every aspect. It would be even better if Jian Lu lived a miserable life, not loved by her man but tortured by her mother-in-law.

Now he had to face the reality. Just from where Cheng Zheng stood, Qin Zhiwu knew that there was no way he would be in Jian Lu's eyes.

——

Seeing Qin Zhiwu running away like a rabbit, Jian Lu's slightly wrinkled brows finally relaxed. Such a bad thing couldn't affect her mood for the winter vacation, especially since Cheng Zheng actually came to the school.

"Why are you here?" Jian Lu remembered that she had bought the train ticket and informed him that day, but he didn't reveal a single word. "Are you going to give me a surprise?"

Cheng Zheng also did not let himself be affected by Qin Zhiwu's mood. He came here today to pick up his wife. He just curled his lips and looked gentle, "Yes, are you surprised?"

"It's okay!" Jian Lu raised the corners of her mouth.

After Cheng Zheng learned that his wife had bought a train ticket for today, he asked someone to help buy one for her. Then he naturally took the suitcase from his wife and went to the train station together.

The green train at the end of the year was carrying many students. It happened to be the winter vacation period for all the universities and colleges, and the hard seat carriage was very lively with the sound of chattering everywhere.

Jian Lu was not idle during these two hours and told Cheng Zheng about her daily study and participation in various activities at the university.

"Have you seen the photos I sent back? How do they look? Do they look good?!"

"Very good." Cheng Zheng had never seen Jian Lu play volleyball before. "What other sports did you learn?"

"There's also basketball, but I'm not very good at it, and table tennis. Oh, and by the way, our poetry club had a great activity last month. They said they wanted to collect everyone's poems into a book and see if they can print it into a collection in the future."

"You guys are quite amazing, you are all great poets?" Cheng Zhengjian raised his eyebrows slightly, but there was joy in his eyes. His wife's life in college was really colorful.

"Of course not!" Jian Lu was ready to go back and cultivate her literary talent, "Let's see if Shuangshuang has this potential."

The two chatted all the way, arrived at the county town and took a ferry to the island, and finally returned to the family yard accompanied by the sea breeze.

As soon as the winter vacation arrived, more and more children started running and playing in the yard. When they saw Aunt Jian Lu, they all called out to her.

"Aunt Lulu!"

"Aunt Lulu, you're back?!"

"Shuangshuang, your mother is back!"

Shuangshuang was originally jumping rubber rope seriously with her back to the gate of the family compound. When she heard her friends' reminder, she immediately turned around and rushed over to hug her mother's thighs, "Mom!"

"Hey, have you been obedient at home?"

"I'm obedient!" Shuangshuang was very proud and showed off, "I got 98 and 100 in the exam."

"Wow, Shuangshuang is so amazing, even better than mom." Jian Lu was very supportive of the young lady.

After Shuangshuang finished showing off, she was worried that her mother would be sad when she heard this, so she hurriedly comforted her mother, "Mom, you are also very good!"

"You are quite proud of yourself." Cheng Zheng complained to his wife with a girlish face, "The two points she lost in math were because she wrote the wrong answers for two math problems."

"Oh, Dad~" Shuangshuang's face turned red, she was so embarrassed, "I just, I just accidentally wrote it backwards."

"You little fool." Jian Lu patted the girl's head.

"Aunt Lulu, you just had your winter break?" Dunzi was holding a basketball in his hands and slapping it on the ground again and again, making a dull thumping sound.

"Yes, I just finished my final exam yesterday."

Jian Lu found that Dunzi seemed to have grown up again recently and had really become a big man.

He failed the college entrance examination this summer, and the Liang family of three all calmly accepted this reality.

The college entrance examination is very difficult, like thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge. Dunzi was squeezed out, while Hengheng was successfully admitted to a university in a neighboring province. Although it is not the top one, it is not bad.

"Dunzi, where's your mom? And Hengheng hasn't come back yet?"

"My mom went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy food. Hengheng said she'll be there tomorrow."

After a few pleasantries, Jian Lu went back to her room to put her luggage away, placed the books and winter vacation homework she brought back in the study, and folded some clothes and put them in the closet.

Finally returning to her home, Jian Lu felt that everything was good there: the air was fresh, the house was spacious, and there were snacks prepared by her mother-in-law.

"Lulu, you must be hungry after coming back. There are egg cakes and winter melon candies on the table to fill your stomach first." Aunt Wang was cooking pork in the kitchen to welcome her daughter-in-law.

"Got it, thank you mom!"

When Cheng Zheng and Liang Haisheng talked about official business for a while and then entered the courtyard, they saw his daughter-in-law and his daughter-in-law sitting side by side on the recliners.

Each of them held a piece of egg cake in their hands. They took a light bite of the soft cake and some crumbs fell out. Shuangshuang loved eating it very much and quickly picked up the crumbs on her clothes with her little hands and put them into her mouth.

Jian Lu praised the girl next to her, "Yes, this is called the three-second rule. If it doesn't take more than three seconds to drop something, it's fine to pick it up and eat it. We have to cherish food."

"I know, Mom." The little mouths were wrapped tightly, "I will definitely eat it thoroughly."

Cheng Zheng looked at the mother and daughter, they were just like two little greedy cats.

——

During the winter vacation, Jian Lu's life became more leisurely. Only after going to school could she realize the value of the long vacation.

Especially when there are a group of children around.

I don't know why, but the kids in the family compound love playing with Aunt Jian Lu and like listening to her stories. They talk about how interesting college is, and how attending classes and participating in sports meets are completely different from elementary and junior high school.

The children listened with great interest, and one or two of them shouted that they wanted to be college students, which made the parents laugh out loud.

Feng Xiuhui and Cui Yuhe came over with a basket, and while listening to the story, they selected vegetables and encouraged everyone at the same time.

"Are you all jealous? Then study hard! Try to get into college."

"Yes." The children said in unison.

Jian Lu sent the children to play nearby, and then started talking to her two sisters-in-law.

The three of them haven't seen each other for a while, but they have a lot to talk about. Feng Xiuhui is most worried about her son now.

"You see, Dunzi didn't pass the college entrance examination, and I'm thinking of sending him to the army. My son, Lao Liang, has the same idea, but he just doesn't want to go."

Jian Lu knew that Dunzi was a very opinionated child, so she could only advise him, "He must have his own ideas in mind, ask him."

"He won't tell me, so let's just leave it at that." Feng Xiuhui feels her son is getting harder and harder to manage. "When he was little, he liked to tell me everything. He would even tell me and Lao Liang if he farted. But now, he says he has no idea when you ask him anything."

Jian Lu agreed with this and thought that this was probably what adolescent children were like.

"I remember that Dunzi was very concerned about reform and opening up before. Did he want to do business?" Jian Lu remembered this incident.

"What kind of business is that? It's almost like speculation. What if he gets caught?" Feng Xiuhui firmly disagreed. "My family doesn't need that little money now. I just want to find him a decent job."

Cui Yuhe patted Feng Xiuhui on the shoulder and said, "Then tell me about it. Dunzi is such a sensible child, he will definitely understand."

Apart from their academic performance, the children of these families are definitely outstanding in their character. They all played together when they were young, but now they are growing up and have more worries.

——

At this moment, Dunzi and Hengheng were playing with a group of children, mainly the two older ones watching the younger ones play.

There was a lot of noise around them. Heng Heng, who had just returned from winter break, slapped him on the shoulder and said, "What's going on? Our brother Dunzi doesn't look very happy."

"Oh, it's so depressing." Dunzi said sadly, but his expression didn't change much. "I have no interest in going to college, and of course I didn't pass the entrance exam. I also don't want to join the army, but my parents think there's something wrong with my brain."

Heng Heng chuckled, "I agree with Uncle Liang and Aunt Feng, there is something wrong with your brain."

Just as Dunzi was about to open his mouth to retort, he heard a voice as soft as a mosquito coming from the side, "That's right."

Following the sound, I saw Lu Qing turning his head to look at me, but he had not had time to look away.

Dunzi was not prepared to pay attention to her. Today, he didn't even have the heart to quarrel with this girl who he didn't get along with.

However, Lu Qing seemed very curious and asked him, "Liang Jingyi, why don't you want to join the army?"

If you don't get into college, what's wrong with being a soldier?

"What do you know?" Dunzi gave her a look and said, "Little girl, go read your books."

"You...!" Lu Qing's cheeks puffed up instantly, and he got angry at just one sentence. "I'm only one year younger than you, but you're making me act like I'm that old! Humph."

Lu Qing, feeling that his kindness was not rewarded, turned around angrily, leaving him with a cold and indifferent back of the head.

Heng Heng smiled and shook his head, giving Dun Zi a thumbs up, "You are really awesome. Lu Qing has such a good temper, and only you can make her angry."

Dunzi pouted, not yet figuring out how to tell his parents.

As a result, at dinner time, he was called home by Uncle Cheng to have dinner.

There were four dishes on the Cheng family's dining table: kelp and pig's trotter soup, stir-fried cabbage, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, and scrambled eggs with leeks, all of which were delicious.

"Dunzi, come and sit down and have your meal!" Cheng Zheng felt deeply moved as he looked at the boy whom he had watched grow up.

"Uncle Cheng, could it be that my dad asked you to come over here?"

"You are quite smart, kid." Cheng Zheng smiled and asked him to sit down.

Dunzi was not pretentious. He ate it when he should. Moreover, it was Aunt Jian Lu's cooking. It would be a big loss if he didn't eat it.

The aroma of food filled the air. Everyone chatted casually while eating. When the meal was over, Cheng Zheng finally spoke to the young man, "Dunzi, your father and mother are very worried about you."

"I know." Dunzi treated Uncle Cheng differently. Uncle Cheng took care of him when he was a child and often gave him delicious food. Dunzi considered him a friend. "Uncle Cheng, I didn't mean to get along with them."

Jian Lu also watched him grow up and felt that the child would not do that. "Have you told your parents about your future plans? If you don't want to be a soldier, you have to do something else, right?"

"Yes, I don't want to be idle and waste my days."

Cheng Zheng and Jian Lu looked at each other, feeling like a parent looking at a child.

This was also the first time that Cheng Zheng was asked by his good brother to have a heart-to-heart talk with his son. Sometimes, it is not easy to express one's true feelings in the roles of parent and child. One would feel awkward and unable to express himself.

"Then tell us what you think. We have all watched you grow up." Cheng Zheng glanced at the girl who was drinking soup and pointed at her, "Except Shuangshuang."

Shuangshuang was suddenly called by her father. She had no idea what the adults were saying to brother Dunzi, so she just casually said, "That's right!"

Dunzi was amused by both of them, and he spoke slowly, "Uncle Cheng, Aunt Lulu, Granny Wang, I don't really like studying. Of course, I don't have the brains to go to college, and I don't want to join the army or work in a factory. I think they are all boring. I want to go out and explore on my own.

Didn't the policy loosen up before? Now there are big bowls of tea for sale in the county town, and there are also people from the countryside selling chickens and ducks in the county town. I also want to do business. I think it's too troublesome to buy things now. Everything needs a ticket. Those stalls outside don't need tickets. It's so popular."

Jian Lu was not surprised at all, because Dunzi had noticed the reform and opening-up policy back then. Besides, this kid was quite good in other aspects, especially his business sense, except that he was not very good at learning skills.

"Do you have an idea?" Jian Lu asked him, "What do you want to do?"

"I'm thinking about it. I heard that there seem to be many opportunities in S City. For example, the most commonly used and most in-demand items right now are fabrics and clothes. I think this is quite interesting. There are also some things that are not commonly used but are in demand, such as radios, but these are more expensive.

Anyway, I really want to go out and see the world, but as you know, my mother doesn't want me to go too far, so it's best for me to find a job in the army and live at home."

Aunt Wang understood Feng Xiuhui's thoughts and said, "Your mother is right. No mother would want to let her child go too far. But it's normal for you young people to want to go out."

At this point, Aunt Wang recalled that both of her sons were soldiers. She sent one of them off on the train and then went home to secretly wipe away her tears.

Cheng Zheng didn't have any objection to this. "Then you should talk to your parents. You are almost an adult now. You can't keep everything to yourself. Can your parents be unreasonable? It's good for young people to want to go out and explore. It's true that you don't have much experience when you grow up on a small piece of land all your life. How can you become a man without suffering? But you can't just walk away like a headless fly."

"I know, Uncle Cheng, I won't."

Dunzi had dinner and talked with Uncle Cheng's family for a while. He talked incessantly about his optimism about doing business, and all the things that he couldn't say calmly to his parents came out at once.

Especially Aunt Jian Lu also discussed with me and gave me some pointers on what would be popular in the future.

Dunzi suddenly felt that he had met a close friend.

"Don't be too happy too soon. We think it's okay, but there are certain risks now. No one wants you to take risks, understand? Be prepared for everything." Seeing Dunzi nodded, Jian Lu asked him again, "I'll tell your mother what you said tonight. Do you have any objections?"

Jian Lu and her husband have been entrusted with a task, so they certainly have to give feedback, but it would be best to ask their children for their opinions in advance.

Dunzi thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement. At least Aunt Lulu had asked him first, so Dunzi felt respected and didn't hesitate.

After seeing Dunzi off and washing up, Jian Lu returned to bed. She leaned against the head of the bed and talked to Cheng Zheng about these children.

"Everyone has grown up and their ideas are really different."

"That's right." Cheng Zheng recalled, "Dunzi wanted to do business, Hengheng went to college, Chenchen was admitted to the military academy, and Dongdong was going to work in a factory. None of them were the same."

"What about you?" Jian Lu was curious about Cheng Zheng's thoughts when he was young. "What did you think when you joined the army?"

Cheng Zheng thought back to when he was fifteen years old. His eyes fell on somewhere in the bedroom and he traveled back to many years ago.

"At that time, we didn't think about much, like joining the army, studying at university, or doing business. We just wanted to have enough food to fill our stomachs. Later, we heard that there was chaos outside, many wars, and many people bullied our country. At that time, we were full of energy and signed up directly. I thought, if I stayed in the countryside, I would work in the fields anyway, so it would be better to fight the enemy than to plant rice!"

Jian Lu couldn't help laughing when she heard the last sentence. It was really novel to compare fighting and killing enemies with planting rice.

"Weren't you afraid when you left home to join the army at such a young age?"

What does fifteen years old mean? Jian Lu thought about it. In the future, fifteen-year-old children are still in junior high school, but in this era, young people like Cheng Zheng have been training in combat every day, shuttling through the hail of bullets, and holding up the sky with their young shoulders.

She had rarely asked about Cheng Zheng's story when he was a teenager, and even the original book did not describe in detail the life of this god-level male supporting role. It was today because of Dunzi that Jian Lu suddenly became curious.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. We were all full of passion at that time. We would fight the enemy as soon as we saw them. We were not afraid of death at that time. We agreed before going to the battlefield that if anyone died, his comrades would take over. Those who survived should remember to bring a message back home. This is the duty of a soldier, to defend our country." Cheng Zheng's tone was very calm from beginning to end, as if he was talking about something ordinary.

"You are amazing!" Jian Lu leaned over and rested her head on Cheng Zheng's shoulder, her peach blossom eyes twinkling with stars. This man spoke calmly about his past experiences of being on the brink of life and death, which had a unique charm. "But you can't take life and death too lightly. You have old people and young children at home, so you have to be careful in any training and combat operations."

"I know." Cheng Zheng reached out and gently stroked his wife's cheek. Looking at her gentle face and her breath, every word she said was like a spring breeze blowing through his heart, and warmth flowed into his limbs. "It's different now. I have old people above me and young children below me, and there's someone in the middle who makes me worry."

Jian Lu leaned quietly on Cheng Zheng's shoulder. After several seconds, she reacted. She looked up at him and glared at him, "Who are you talking about that is worrying?"

"You, how can I rest easy when my beautiful wife goes to college? What was the name of that bastard that day? He was full of nonsense. You are just too annoying."

Bastard?

Jian Lu pursed her lips and smiled, "What bastard? That man is called Qin Zhiwu."

Cheng Zheng: "...You remember it very clearly."

Jian Lu: "...? Forget it, just call him a bastard!"

=

The next day, Jian Lu talked about Dunzi's matter with Feng Xiuhui alone, while Cheng Zheng talked to Liang Haisheng alone. The couple acted separately, as if they were completing some important task.

"Sister Xiuhui, I have watched Dunzi grow up. He was only a few years old when I met him, but now he has grown up. Dunzi has his own ideas. I also think that economic development is the focus in the future, and he will do well in business."

Feng Xiuhui didn’t quite understand these things. She just wanted her family to be stable. “What if something happened? I just feel uneasy.”

"The policy has been relaxed. Last year, the leaders from the top went south to give a speech. The economy will only develop faster and faster in the future. To be honest, my sister Xiujuan and I are also planning to contract a pearl farm privately."

Cai Xiujuan is now increasingly distracted at the commune's public pearl farm. All sorts of useless people are being stuffed in to give orders, which makes her very angry.

As the stall grew bigger, more and more people wanted to share in the profits. Cai Xiujuan had already written to Jian Lu about this.

"Really?" Feng Xiuhui felt relieved when she heard Jian Lu did it. She felt that Jian Lu was capable and could do everything well.

"Yes, as long as you choose the right direction and do things carefully, you will have a future. At Dunzi's age, it won't do any harm to let him exercise."

......

In the evening, Cheng Zheng came back from the army and talked with his wife. He was relieved to confirm that Lao Liang and his wife had relented.

Liang Haisheng and Feng Xiuhui had a good talk with their son again. They realized that their son had so many ideas. He analyzed what would be fashionable in the future and what were the best-selling items at the stalls outside. This kid actually knew everything.

However, they agreed that they could visit nearby counties in early spring next year and not do anything that would cause worry.

Dunzi of course had no objection and said everything was fine. As long as we could take the first step, it would be fine.

——

In winter, the island welcomed the first fishing trip in 1980.

At the beginning of January, the fishermen went out to sea and brought back a lot of big fish.

Fisherman Lao Yang and Cheng Zheng were old acquaintances, and he also knew that Captain Cheng's wife liked to eat seafood, so before leaving he specifically said that he would leave some for Captain Cheng.

Early in the morning, the two of them got up earlier than going to school, clamoring to go out.

"Mom, we should hurry up, or we won't have any more delicious food."

"Eat first. You'll feel hungry if you don't eat breakfast." Jian Lu sleeps well every day, and she felt energetic even when she woke up early today.

"Then let's eat quickly." Shuangshuang was so active for the first time. She started to get excited as she sat at the table. She started to drool just thinking about those delicious shrimps and crabs.

Every time the fishermen come back from a trip out to sea, they bring back a lot of seafood that is large and fresh, with delicious meat, and Shuangshuang loves it the most.

"Your Grandpa Yang will leave some for us, and he even said he would save a big lobster especially for you." Because the Chinese New Year is approaching and the policies outside are loosening, except for those that must be sold to the food stations, the other things caught at sea this year can be sold privately.

"I've never seen you so active in school." Cheng Zheng brought a bowl of soy milk to the table, then turned back and brought a bowl of fried dough sticks.

"The most important thing is to eat delicious food." Shuangshuang has her own logic.

Aunt Wang made the soy milk by grinding beans herself and cooking them, and she also fried the fried dough sticks early this morning by mixing the dough.

The freshly fried dough sticks are crispy, and you can hear a crisp crackling sound when you bite them.

However, Jian Lu likes to break the fried dough sticks into small pieces and soak them in soy milk to eat. The fried dough sticks with the fragrance of beans have a unique flavor.

Shuangshuang likes to eat like her mother. She buries her head to take a sip of soy milk, and when she looks up again, she is covered with a circle of white "beard".

"Oh, I have a beard too!" Shuangshuang pointed at his little mouth and showed it to the adults.

Cheng Zheng had been criticized by ladies for his stubble several times. When he kissed her on the cheek, she always said he wanted a tattoo. This time, he found an excuse, "Your stubble is not as good-looking as mine."

"Mine looks better." Shuangshuang took a look at herself in the mirror and saw a circle of white soy milk foam around her mouth. She smiled and pointed at the mirror with her hand, "It's getting ugly."

With her father holding a towel to wipe her mouth and face, Shuangshuang finally regained her cute and pretty appearance.

The family of four packed up and set off together.

There are quite a few people on the road preparing to buy seafood. Everyone is preparing to have a good New Year and rushing all the way to the beach.

This year, the fishermen replaced an old fishing boat that had been in service for decades with a large new fishing boat. Looking at the various seafood caught, which seemed to cover the entire beach, they were stunned and said, "Wow!"